Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Deceptions. Deceptions Everywhere.

Only 3 chapters this week. Writer's block has been tough. This may also be a more realistic upload rate for me to maintain in the long term. 

All 3 are available on right now. Otherwise, they will be released here on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

Enjoy!

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SL195-E-0. That was the name of the Imperial Siren-class heavy cruiser that served as the flagship of Task Force Epsilon of the 195th Silver Lance Fleet.

In the same way that the 195th Fleet was just a tiny part of the sector-spanning armada that was Battlefleet Silver Lance, Task Force Epsilon was one of the many smaller units that made up the 195th Fleet. Granted, Epsilon was one of the larger task forces, with its Force Commander being one of the high-ranking officers assigned to aid Commodore Thea by her father. This was why Task Force Epsilon was given the important mission of conquering and holding one of the four planets in the system by itself.

The Task Force included a total of 19 cruisers of all classes and sizes and 48 smaller escort ships. At the start of the invasion of Diego Nine, Task Force Epsilon used its superior numbers and firepower to push the Republic garrison fleet away from the planet, allowing the 329th Infantry Division to land on the planet and perform a ground assault. Its starfighters and starbombers assisted the ground troops by providing much-needed air support, decimating the Republic G60 starfighters but failing to keep the Republic garrison from reaching Prosperity.

Now, after the heavy losses suffered by the 329th at the hand of the unidentified forces, Task Force Epsilon would once again demonstrate the might of the Imperial Navy by crushing the enemies of the Imperium with overwhelming force.

In the private quarters of SL195-E-0, Force Commander Arthur Liam leaned back in a leather sofa large enough to fit four people. He had been the captain of the ship for seven years, and he had made this vessel his second home. Any piece of furniture in this office was likely worth more than the salary a sailor would get for their entire career, and when it came to things on the ship whose sole purpose was to make the commander's life more pleasurable, the pieces of furniture weren't even close to the most expensive.

There were some fresh fruits and delicate drinks on the counter next to the sofa. They were hardly expensive on Diego Secondary where they were produced, but the cost to bring these fruits all the way here from another planet turned even the most common products into luxuries that only the wealthiest could afford. There was a reason most food supplies given to common soldiers and sailors were nutrient pastes that could last people the longest and were the cheapest to transport.

In the end, power had its benefits. Battlefleet Silver Lance was what allowed Lord Vitz to maintain an iron hold on the sector both against external threats and internal ones. Their loyalty came at a cost. Lord Vitz devoted a lot of resources to make sure everyone in the armada, from the common sailors and marines to the admirals, commodores, and fleet commanders, were happy with their lives.

There were a number of screens on the wall, displaying the feed from the different scanners and cameras installed around the vessel. A hologram showed the location of the group of Imperial warships currently descending toward the planet's surface.

This process of re-entering a planet’s atmosphere was too basic to require the personal attention of the Force Commander, which was why the man was in his private quarters instead of the ship’s command bridge.

“I am having trouble understanding something, father.” A young woman sat down on another sofa next to Commander Liam, one with a red leather exterior. She was in a naval uniform with the insignia of a lieutenant on her shoulder and a shield symbol that represented the Imperial Navy on her chest. Her eyes landed on the symbols in the hologram that represented the Imperial ships sent on this mission.

“Yes, Sarah?” Commander Liam turned to the young woman and asked patiently.

“This flotilla you have deployed on this mission to the planet’s surface…it feels a little excessive.” The young woman paused. “You said it yourself when you talked to Commodore Thea and General Pierre. The enemies only have minor anti-air emplacements and no orbital or air capabilities. A single Calypso class or Minotaur class can likely provide enough support for our marine units to take the enemy position. So…”

“So why did I deploy my flagship and a quarter of the Task Force? Why did I waste expensive fuel on an enemy that can be defeated with a fraction of the resources?” Commander Liam nodded gently. “You are a smart girl, Sarah. That is obvious. You don’t get to graduate with honors from the Cornelia Naval Academy by being dumb, but there is a reason we often have fresh graduates like you shadow experienced commanders like me before you are given command. The situations you run into in reality are often more complicated than the simulations or the exam questions.”

He carefully examined his daughter’s expression and was glad to see she was listening to his words carefully. It wasn't too surprising. He always knew that his daughter worshipped him. In her eyes, he was the perfect Imperial commander. Brave. Cautious. Decisive. Strict yet fair.

“Let me ask you something. This force that we have yet to identify…what do we know about them so far?”

Sarah Liam’s answer was quick. She might only have the rank of lieutenant, but she had been working closely with his father ever since she graduated from the academy four months ago. She participated in every meeting he did. The Force Commander also made sure his daughter could access data and reports way above her pay grade. It was technically a questionable decision, but no one, not even the Imperial Security Corps Overseers attached to the Task Force, would challenge it.

Things like this were way too common in every corner of the galaxy. Almost every single person of some stature wanted to train and prepare their sons and daughters to inherit their positions, resources, and ambitions. The Corps was there to insure the Leviathan’s will reigned absolute, not to destroy nepotism.

“Likely some covert spec ops unit.” The lieutenant paused as she realized this simple and obvious answer wouldn’t satisfy her father. “Since this was a Republic world…maybe it’s the security forces of some major defense companies in the Republic? Lemma Corporation? Winchester Co? These companies have their private armies, and their research teams are some of the best in the galaxy. They may be responsible for the advanced weapons. As for what they’re doing here…it’s obviously a mission deemed by their leaders to be important enough to expose and potentially sacrifice such an elite unit.”

“Perhaps you are right, but until we can find any more evidence, that is nothing more than a wild guess. One that is meaningless to us and our objective.” Commander Liam shook his head before explaining. “It would obviously be preferred if we know who we are dealing with, but now that this is impossible for now, let’s throw our hypotheses aside and look at what we do know. And what do we know? We know they are well trained and well equipped, and we know they are here and they have assaulted Imperial forces for a reason. Now…if they are just a small group of isolated infantry troops with no means of challenging our ships, then what they did is suicide. Most likely, we will be facing more than just a few hundred troops. We will be facing resistance.”

“But…” Sarah raised her eyebrows in confusion. She was there during the meeting her father had with Commodore Thea and General Pierre, the same one where she witnessed her father mercilessly mock the general for taking losses due to these forces. “But the things you said to the Commodore. The confidence…”

“Of course I was confident back then. How else would I exclude General Pierre from this operation? You said it yourself, Sarah. These forces are likely here for an important mission, one that we will hopefully soon learn more about. When we find out what they're after, whoever thwarted their mission will be heavily rewarded for their service. Why would I split this accomplishment with an Imperial Army general when my fleet alone can get the job done?”

Even as he continued, his eyes were fixed on his daughter’s face to see her reaction. What he just said didn't exactly fit his selfless, heroic personality, but he still said them nonetheless. It was always going to be a matter of time before he showed his true color to Sarah.

“Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that I will be as careful as I can be when dealing with this force. That’s why I deployed a quarter of the Task Force and put the rest of the Task Force on high alert. That’s why I’m bringing along the only heavy cruiser in the unit. Whatever tricks these forces have up their sleeves, we will make sure they fail.”

Sarah’s brows darkened, and her father immediately noticed it. His daughter didn't seem to be taking this revelation too well. Unsurprising, given that she had quite a naive view of the world around her that the naval academy only helped foster. It was something he hoped to change.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that…this is not what I expected being a naval commander involved.” The young woman said quietly. “I…I thought I would be serving the Imperium. Serving Lord Vitz. I never thought I would have to think about these… deceptions.”

“We are serving Lord Vitz and the Imperium. It doesn’t contradict looking out for ourselves. If anything, the higher your rank is, the better you will be able to serve the Imperium.” Commander Liam sighed and stood up. It seemed like his daughter was not taking his lesson well, but he was confident he could change her mind given the time. That being said, this conversation was about to come to an end.

After all, he would soon have a battle to command.

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“1 Siren-class heavy cruiser. 4 Calypso-class light cruisers. 8 Arachne-class Frigate. It seems like we have indeed caught the Imperium’s attention.”

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Unbeknownst to Imperial Task Force Epsilon, their movement hardly surprised the terran forces on the ground. Even as they were leaving the planet’s orbit and heading for the surface, one of the three Imperial satellites in the planet’s orbit, put in place by Task Force Epsilon itself, was sending key tactical information about the flotilla to the orbital command in the terran base.

The transformation from commander center to orbital command had been completed within three hours of Athena giving the order. The process changed many aspects of the command center, with the most obvious modification being the giant satellite dish that was now fixed on top of the terran structure.

As soon as the construction was completed, the orbital command attempted to gain access to the three satellites in the planet’s orbit. After a few more hours, the orbital command managed to bypass the defenses of security protocols. It wasn’t able to fully control the satellites due to a lack of time, but what it did get was read access to the pictures the satellites took and the movement pattern of the satellites.

When the access was acquired, the adjutant gave Athena a lot of information about the satellites. The three satellites in the planet’s orbit were all S-78 multi-purpose satellites, capable of serving a variety of purposes, including communications, military reconnaissance, and missile detection.

More importantly, S-78s were geosynchronous satellites, meaning they hovered over the planet’s surface at a fixed location. This made plenty of economical sense as the Imperial Navy couldn’t afford to put in a whole network of satellites over the planet, but it also meant the Imperium had less control over the rest of the planet than Athena had anticipated.

All three satellites were above Prosperity and its proximity, which was to be expected given that the mining city was the only point of interest on the planet.

In other words, the SCVs and bases she had around the planet were unlikely to be discovered in the near future by these satellites. Granted, the longer they were there the higher the chances of discovery by other methods, but it meant Athena could modify her plan a little.

When Athena launched the assault on Starport Cinder, she moved most of her SCVs away from her main terran base in the valley in case of an immediate counterattack. This meant they were never seen by the satellites, which allowed Athena to direct most of her 2,000 SCVs to the location of where her new, hidden base would be.

An unnamed mountain range that stretched hundreds of miles across the surface of Diego Nine, located over a thousand miles away from Diego Nine and the Imperial forces.

As the SCVs were moving, Athena lifted the other commander centers out in the wild and directed them to the mountain range. As both the command centers and the SCVs arrived, Athena's order was simple.

Dig open the mountain and set up a full terran base inside.

This was Athena’s plan. Terran bases on the surface of the planet were at risk of being easily discovered by aircraft or scouting vehicles, so why not hide them in places nearly impossible to find via conventional means? Such as inside mountain bodies or underground?

A base made up of ordinary human soldiers and workers, even the most loyal ones, wouldn’t even think of sealing themselves into a mountain. Even throwing aside the psychological issues, there would be no way for supplies to go in and resources to go out. It would be suicide.

The terran SCVs had no such concerns. They could construct supply depots within the closed caves to sustain themselves. The minerals they returned to the command centers were automatically accessible to Athena as well as other terran units on the planet. The nature of their being also made sure they wouldn’t be driven mad by the prospect of living underground potentially forever.

There were still downsides, of course. While the SCVs were mining, they also had to spend a lot of time and resources to build neosteel structural supports and make sure the mountain wouldn’t just fall on them. Still, this made sure that a scouting aircraft or surveillance drone flying overhead wouldn’t notice anything wrong. Even if the satellites repositioned themselves over the mountain ranges, they would be too late to spot the terran units.

Athena had considered this possibility a long time ago, but this was a huge project that, according to the adjutants, could take a week even with tens of thousands of SCVs.

By the time she got six SCVs out in Valley Charlie, she knew the satellites would be online soon, and if one of them spotted thousands of SCVs digging into a mountain, it would ruin everything. Only now that she confirmed the satellites wouldn’t look that far could she safely start this project.

Part of an adjutant’s role was to coordinate forces for their commanders, and SCVs were no strangers to this type of procedure. Under the adjutants’ directions, the SCVs wasted no time getting to work. They started drilling into the mountains, removing pieces of stone, and returning the stones to the command centers where they would be converted into minerals. At the same time, the command centers started producing SCVs nonstop, adding to the busy workforce.

As the construction project continued, some of the SCVs started reinforcing the structure of the newly formed tunnels with neosteels while others continued digging deeper into the mountain.

The Imperial warships made their move on the terran base two days after the assault on Starport Cinder. While the SCVs were still working, Athena was informed by the adjutant at the orbital command about the attack.

“We still have some time, but this Imperial fleet is too much to take out. If they came at me a few cruisers at a time, I can take them out one by one and build my forces with the vespene gas, but a dozen ships all at once is too much. The Imperial commander is more cautious than I hoped.” Athena said as she entered the game and bought herself more time to think. “Luckily, right now I don’t need to be able to hold off the Imperials to mine from this world.”

“In that case, commander, one option you have is to pull your forces back and abandon the base in the valley,” Nova suggested. “The Imperials are unlikely to pursue too long. Even if they do, your units can throw them off eventually. However, this may cause the Imperials to search the planet.”

Athena frowned. If she was the commander of the Imperial Navy fleet and she saw this, what would she think? An elite unit attacked a starport of the local garrison and then proceeded to ambush a regiment of the same garrison. Athena knew she got what she wanted, but the Imperials didn't know that. They would simply be extremely confused by the lack of purpose in this operation.

At this point, Athena had achieved everything she could hope for by interacting with the Imperials. She had unlocked the starport and collected plenty of vespene gas. Sure, she could keep building more units and fighting, but now that the Imperials had their full attention on the terrans, getting good, efficient engagements would become more and more difficult.

If her terran troops fled into the wild and away from the gaze of the Imperium, the Imperials would suspect there was something else going on in this world. The result would be a lot more scouting aircraft and satellites deployed. Even if they didn't have the means to do a full planetary search now, they might do so eventually. This would be problematic.

On the other hand, if the terran troops all died here while fighting the Imperials, then whatever questions the Imperials had would die with them. As far as the Imperials could see, whatever plan the terran troops had failed already. There would still be questions about where they came from, but with the threat neutralized, other pressing matters would take priority.

She explained her thoughts to Nova, and the advisor nodded in agreement after some consideration.

“It may a better idea, commander. The one possible concern is that this may allow the Imperium to get a chance to further explore the basic structures and units of the terran forces. I can confirm that they will not be able to copy the terran technologies due to the nature of their existence, but they may learn the capabilities of some of the units and structures.”

“That has always been unavoidable. There will always be casualties in war.” Athena replied. As strong as terran units were, hoping that the enemies would never get their hands on a terran corpse or the remains of a terran vehicle or aircraft was foolish. Even now the Imperials have retrieved remains of terran CMC armors and gauss rifles. As long as the Imperium couldn’t copy her technologies and make their own gauss rifles or CMC power armor, she would still have the advantage.

Even though she made up her mind to sacrifice the terran units and base, Athena wouldn’t just let the terran units go down for free. No…both to convince the Imperials that nothing was wrong and to get some more returns on her investments, she had to make this fight good.

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